Information for Biological Resources Engineering Students

Arguably the most famous inhabitant of the Chesapeake Bay, the blue crab's numbers are threatened by the degradation of its habitat. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, "Restoring crab populations to healthy levels requires focused long-term planning, in several areas: fishery management planning; reduced harvest pressure; bay grass restoration; and reducing nutrient pollution to improve the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water during the summer."

To the Students of Biological Resources Engineering:

In December 2005, Robert Fischell and his sons presented University of Maryland, College Park with a $31 million dollar gift. This gift helped to fund what is now known as the Fischell Department of Bioengineering in the Clark School of Engineering. In addition to the already established graduate program in bioengineering, the Department now houses an undergraduate program in bioengineering, of which the first cohort will begin this fall.

The biological resources engineering program at University of Maryland served as a template for the undergraduate bioengineering program. The two programs have many similarities, and both are largely based on the foundational science of biology. However, the two programs differ in their overall educational objectives. The biological resources engineering program is for students with an interest in biological systems who wish to study the biological and engineering aspects of plant, animal, genetic, microbial, medical, food processing, and environmental systems. The purpose of the bioengineering program is to marry the principles and applications embedded within engineering with the sciences of biology, medicine, and health.

We will offer those freshman students matriculating in the biological resources engineering program this fall (2006) the opportunity to switch their major into bioengineering. If you are interested in pursuing this option, please send an email to bioe-undergrad@umd.edu. In the email, please be sure to include your name and University ID number. Students that would like to continue in the biological resources engineering program will be able to complete their program as originally offered.

For students already in biological resources engineering, we intend to make available a transition plan so that you might transfer into the bioengineering undergraduate program. Please check back with us for information during the fall semester. For those not interested in making a transition, we will fully support the original biological resources engineering program as it currently exists so you can make steady progress toward your degree.

We are excited about this new endeavor, and we look forward to working with all of you!

Sincerely,

William E. Bentley
Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professor
Chair

To learn more about the Fischell Department of Bioengineering and the undergraduate curriculum, please visit our course listing and sample program pages. Questions about the undergraduate program in bioengineering may be sent to bioe-undergrad@umd.edu.

We also encourage you to learn why the Clark School is in an excellent position to provide an education in bioengineering, and to learn more about the Fischells and their donation.